Similar to the approaching of Previous Man Winter and jolly outdated St. Nick, golf’s Launch Season is one in all life’s certainties. And identical to a snowstorm, it begins with a flake or two (witness the Cleveland HiBore XL). Subsequent come the flurries and a lightweight dusting (Sub 70, COBRA, et al), simply sufficient for these of us dreaming of a white Christmas.
Come January, nonetheless, we’re in for Snowmageddon.
Shoveling by means of all that … snow … is daunting so now could be pretty much as good a time as any to organize for what’s coming. It’s straightforward to be overwhelmed however identical to your neighbor with the snowblower, we’re right here to lend a serving to hand.
Launch Season is loaded with myths, realities, reality and customary misconceptions which might be stated many instances, some ways. Within the spirit of the season, we’ve made an inventory, checked it twice and, identical to Santa, we’ve culled the naughty from the great.
So fireplace up the sleigh, fellow GolfSpies. Let the Reindeer Video games start.
Delusion #1: Let me guess, one other 10 yards?
This delusion is up there with Frosty the Snowman however not in the way in which you’re considering.
We’ve scoured OEM adverts, press releases, official statements and personal conversations and we’ve discovered one thing outstanding.
OEMs are NOT promising you 10 extra yards with their new drivers. They haven’t for an extended, very long time. They may inform you longer, straighter, quicker, but when you will discover me an advert, press launch or any respected OEM saying, “Our new driver offers you 10 extra yards,” I’ll roast my chestnuts over an open fireplace.
Actuality #1: It’s about your mishits
Let’s get this on the desk now so there’s no misunderstanding.
The foundations are the principles and the principles place laborious and quick limits on balls and CT. CT stands for Attribute Time and the USGA limits how lengthy the ball can keep in touch with the clubface at affect: the so-called “trampoline impact.”
“One other 10 yards” has gone from a cynical objection to a lazy cliché. Nobody is promising you one other 10 yards on on-center strikes. Nevertheless, the place efficiency can enhance is on the outskirts of middle affect. Whether or not it’s the ART face expertise on Sub 70’s new 859 drivers or the assorted OEMs’ AI-designed variable-face thickness, the purpose is to enhance efficiency once you miss the center.
Hey, if you happen to’re one of many chosen few who by no means misses the center of your driver’s clubface, my hat’s off to you. You might be The Pan. For the remainder of us, something that retains off-center strikes in play and with extra distance is a welcome improvement.
Delusion #2: Wait six weeks; they’ll launch one other one …
Yo, 2012 known as. It needs its Scorching Take again.
This one pops up yearly, often following a TaylorMade driver launch. Did TaylorMade pull this nonsense at one time? Completely however that was again within the R1/JetSpeed/SLDR days. TaylorMade was underneath completely different possession and struggled by means of some distinctive – and largely self-inflicted – market challenges.
As soon as once more, if you will discover any event prior to now decade when TaylorMade launched a totally new driver to interchange the final utterly new driver it launched simply six weeks prior, you’ll be able to name me Mr. Grinch and inform me I stink, stank, stunk.
Actuality #2: OEMs are on one- or two-year product cycles
It’s been this manner for fairly a while.
TaylorMade, Callaway and COBRA will launch a brand new driver household every January. They’ll additionally launch game-improvement irons every January, though – Spoiler Alert!! – there might be one shocking change this January. Every will in all probability launch one other driver later in 2025 nevertheless it’ll be a line-extension sort factor (suppose mini-driver or Triple Diamond Max) or a limited-edition particular.
PING and Titleist are on 18-month to two-year launch cycles for irons and metalwoods however they’ll additionally launch their stuff at odd instances. PING launched the G430 MAX 10K final January as the remainder of the G430 driver line was coming into the second 12 months of its life cycle. The brand new G440 line comes out subsequent month however the G430 MAX 10K will keep present for the foreseeable future.
Simply keep in mind, additions aren’t the identical as replacements.
Delusion #3: “Seems to be identical to ____,” or “It’s simply one other copy of____.”
This one’s a Launch Season custom.
If one golf membership bears a passing resemblance to a different, the lazy OEM will need to have simply copied the design, proper? Hey, if it seems to be like one other membership, it have to be the identical as the opposite membership.
It simply goes to point out there’s nothing unique on the market and these new launches are all BS. If it seems to be comparable, it have to be the identical. Nothing to see right here …
It’s particularly emphatic if you happen to add a bunch of “laughing face” emojis after your feedback or if you happen to ensure that the world is aware of greater than anybody else by including an “LOL” or “LMAO.”
That’ll present ’em.
Actuality #3: “Seems to be like” and “Identical as/Copy of” are two various things
A 12 months or so in the past, an OEM posted an image of its new 3-wood. A serial commenter felt it essential to level out – with all of the requisite emojis and an LMAO – that it regarded suspiciously like a special OEM’s 3-wood from a earlier 12 months.
Will need to have been a replica, proper?
I’m only a easy scribe however 3-woods are inclined to look an terrible lot like 3-woods. Participant’s irons are inclined to look alike as do participant’s distance irons, game-improvement irons and wedges. All of them have hosels, toes, heels, soles and toplines. Sound design isn’t essentially a “copy.” A golf membership has to seem like a golf membership so there are sure to be similarities.
You will notice golf equipment from lower-end DTC manufacturers that look alike. They’re, probably, “open-mold” irons. An open-mold iron is a generic design owned by a foundry in Asia. They slap the DTC model’s identify and brand on it and, presto, that model is within the golf enterprise.
Past that, you’ll usually see designs from among the bigger and extra unique DTC manufacturers slip by means of the cracks and wind up provided by one other foundry as an open mould. We’ve written about this earlier than, however as you progress to Asia’s third- or fourth-tier foundries, all bets are off.
Delusion #4: Curse these grasping OEMs! Pricing is getting uncontrolled!
Most individuals use a selected expletive as an alternative of “curse” however, c’mon, this can be a household weblog. I can see why folks wince as mainstream OEM drivers push the $600 mark and irons high $1,200 for a six-piece set. That’s painful.
And let’s not even deliver up the $54.99 per dozen golf balls.
Don’t the nimrods who run these OEMs know they’re pricing the typical golfer out of the sport? Tools is simply too costly and it’s driving folks away. Do they actually suppose we’re silly sufficient to purchase a brand new driver yearly at these costs?
Actuality #4: It’s by no means been a greater time to be a shopper
It’s true and, no, your devoted scribe hasn’t dipped his cup into the eggnog early nor has he sparked up slightly frankincense and myrrh.
There’s extra high-performing golf tools accessible at higher costs at this time than at another time this century. Desire a actually good sport enchancment iron? You gained’t do a lot better than the Tour Edge E723 at $569.99.
Participant’s distance on a funds? The MacGregor MT-Milled ($549.99) or the Sub 70 699 Professional V2 ($630.00) will do you simply superb. At just below $450, the Ram Axial Cast is perhaps the greatest cast cavity-back deal going.
Drivers? The Sub 70 859 driver begins at $399 as does the brand new Cleveland HiBore XL. As we transfer into Launch Season, you’ll discover loads of choices from recognizable names underneath $500.
Golf balls? In the event you can’t discover a solid-performing urethane “Tour” ball for underneath $35 a dozen, you’re simply not making an attempt very laborious.
It additionally bears repeating: The existence of a $600 or above driver and even a $6,400 set of irons doesn’t negate the existence of lower-priced choices. It’s not a zero-sum sport, mates.
It’s essentially the most great time of the 12 months …
Over the subsequent month and a half, we at MyGolfSpy will write greater than 50 product launch articles. Hey, it’s what we do throughout Launch Season. However we wouldn’t be of excellent cheer if we didn’t share some last-minute recommendation, courtesy of Walt Whitman by way of Ted Lasso:
Be curious, not judgmental.
Snap judgments and scorching takes on social media could offer you an endorphin rush however they have a tendency to guide down a darkish, cynical path that’ll eat away at your soul and crush any hope of seasonal pleasure.
OK, it’s perhaps not that critical, however it’s simply golf. Each trade often releases new merchandise with completely different options, expertise and different doo-dads. Simply because a brand new Dodge Ram or Toyota 4Runner seems to be superior, that doesn’t make the one to procure final 12 months out of date, does it? The identical customary applies to golf tools. In the event you performed good golf with the tools you had final 12 months, you’ll greater than possible play good golf with that very same tools subsequent 12 months.
Conversely, if you happen to performed crappy golf final 12 months, you in all probability gained’t play higher golf simply by shopping for new gear. Correctly fitted gear, nonetheless, may assist. There’s no magic bullet however there’s all the time hope.
So it doesn’t matter what occurs this Launch Season, you higher not cry and also you higher not pout and I’m telling you why.
As a result of we’ll be doing this all once more a 12 months from now.
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